As a source of heat and for aesthetic reasons, fireplaces are frequently incorporated into homes. There are currently several fireplace options available to consumers: traditional fuel (wood or coal)-burning fireplaces, gas-burning fireplaces, and electric fireplaces. Traditional fuel-burning fireplaces generally offer the greatest heat-production and aesthetics, but require more set-up and maintenance time to operate. Gas-burning fireplaces offer a real flame and convenience, but lack the natural sound, flickering, and shadowing associated with traditional fuel-burning fires. Electric fireplaces do not offer a real flame, but have many safety and convenience features.
Traditional fuel-burning and gas-burning fireplaces as well as conventional electric fireplaces also lack a visually attractive display means for displaying control settings. For example, a conventional electric fireplace does not feature a lighted visual display by which a user can quickly and easily determine the currently selected control settings simply by looking at the electric fireplace.
Traditional fireplaces and current electric fireplaces also lack devices for signaling visually and audibly when a heater or heat source has been disabled so as to terminate its ability to generate heat. A need exists for this important safety feature.